Bloomberg
• Peter Vercoe
Tesla executives and advisers are exploring a spinoff, sale or closure of the automaker’s China operations as part of preparations for a potential merger with SpaceX, according to The Wall Street Journal. The proposal would address the China business before any transaction involving the two companies proceeds.
Commercial Space
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Tesla executives and advisers are exploring a spinoff, sale or closure of the automaker’s China operations as part of preparations for a potential merger with SpaceX, according to The Wall Street Journal. The proposal would address the China business before any transaction involving the two companies proceeds.
As companies develop plans for data centers in orbit, experts are urging the industry to establish safety practices early. The emerging constellations raise unresolved questions about orbital coordination, traffic management and the long-term effects of adding significant infrastructure to an already contested space environment.
K2 Space has announced a $500 million funding round at a $6.8 billion valuation, more than doubling its valuation in seven months. The satellite manufacturer is preparing to transition from orbital demonstrations to larger commercial and military orders, supported by expanded engineering capacity including a new Seattle hub.
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SES will provide LATAM’s multi-orbit, electronically steerable antenna inflight-connectivity solution across more than 60 Airbus and Embraer twinjets, including its future E195-E2 fleet. The agreement comes as SES reports declining first-half revenue and adjusted EBITDA, while saying its Iris² deal is days from completion.
SpaceX argues Starlink Mobile represents a very large total addressable market for direct-to-device connectivity, but commentary from industry observers questions the feasibility of the approach. The concern centers on whether the D2D link budget can reliably deliver service at the scale implied by SpaceX’s market sizing.
Satellite startup K2 Space, focused on building large spacecraft for data-intensive communications and defense missions, has raised $500 million in a new funding round. The investment comes as the company prepares to announce the financing at a reported $6.8 billion valuation.
The Exploration Company says it has selected Siemens Xcelerator software to speed development of its reusable Nyx cargo spacecraft. The company cites reduced design complexity and improved engineering collaboration across its development workflow as key reasons for the move.
A spent SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage is expected to strike the Moon near Einstein Crater on Aug. 5 at roughly 8,700 kilometers per hour. Scientists plan to study the resulting crater and ejecta, while the event highlights unresolved questions around lunar impact research and space law.
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